Ground penetrating radar system and method for detecting an object on or below a ground surface

• US 6,741,201 B1
• Filed: 10/01/2002
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Technische Universiteit Delft
• Original Assignee: Technische Universiteit Delft
• Inventors: Schukin, Alexander, De Jongth, Rene, Yarovoy, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Lobo, Ian J.
• Application Number:
  US10/130,985
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 342/22, 367/87, 736/27, 736/33, 324/330, 324/337, 702/2
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005

Abstract

Ground penetrating radar system for detecting objects (17) on or below a ground surface (18), comprising at least one transmit antenna (13) having a first foot print (14) at the ground surface, at least one receive antenna (15) having a second foot print (16) at the ground surface, and processing elements (11, 12) connected to the at least one transmit antenna (13) and the at least one receive antenna (15), in which the first (14) and second (16) foot print have different dimensions. The transmit antenna (13) and receive antenna (15) are adapted to improve the detection capability of the ground penetrating radar system (10).

Claims

1. Ground penetrating radar system for detecting objects on or below a ground surface, comprising:

at least one transmit antenna having a first foot print at the ground surface,

at least one receive antenna having a second foot print at the ground surface, and

processing means connected to the at least one transmit antenna and the at least one receive antenna,

the first foot print (14) and the second (16) foot print having different dimensions,

the at least one transmit antenna (13) being arranged to operate as a far field antenna and the at least one receive antenna (15) being arranged to operate as a near field antenna.

2. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 1, characterised in that, the second foot print (16) is enclosed by the first foot print (14).

3. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one transmitter antenna (13) and the processing means (11,12) are arranged to provide a pulse shape with reduced ringing characteristics.

4. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one transmit antenna (13) is a TEM horn antenna.

5. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one transmit antenna (13) produces a single-cycle pulse of RF energy directed towards the ground surface (18).

6. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 3, characterised in that the at least one transmit antenna (13) comprises a first and a second side wall (21, 22), attached to a connector (20) at a first end, the first and second side wall (21,22) being at a predetermined angle (a) to each other, the first and second side wall (21,22) each comprising a plurality of sections (24,25,26) with a predetermined length and a predetermined width, the predetermined width of at least one of the plurality of sections (24,25,26) tapering from the side nearest to the first end of the first and second side wall (21,22) towards the side nearest to a second end of the first and second side wall (21,22).

7. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one receive antenna (15) has a low sensitivity.

8. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 7, characterised in that the at least one receive antenna (15) is one of the following types:

a waveguide aperture antenna;

a small loop antenna;

a short dipole antenna;

a λ

/10-antenna.

9. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one receive antenna (15) comprises an additional receive antenna (19) with an additional receive antenna foot print (20) smaller than the transmit antenna foot print (14).

10. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one receive antenna (15) comprises an array (21) of receive antennae.

11. Ground penetrating radar system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one transmit antenna (13) and the at least one receive antenna (15) are attached to a moving platform.

12. Method for detecting an object on or below a ground surface, comprising the steps of:

illuminating the ground surface with a wide band RF signal, the wide band RF signal being transmitted by a transmit antenna having a first foot print, and

probing the wideband RF signals reflected by the object by at least one receive antenna (15) having a second foot print (16), the first (14) and second (16) foot prints having different dimensions,

the transmit antenna (13) being operated in substantially a far field mode and the at least one receive antenna (15) being operated in substantially a near field mode.

13. Method according to claim 12, characterised in that the reflected wideband RF signals are probed by a linear array (21) of receive antennas.

14. Methods according to claim 12, characterized in that the wideband RF signal is transmitted substantially as a pulse shape with reduced ringing characteristics.

15. Methods according to claim 14, characterised in that the wideband RF signal is transmitted substantially as a single-cycle of RF energy.

16. Ground penetrating radar system for detecting objects on or below a ground surface, comprising:

at least one transmit antenna array having a first foot print at the ground surface,

at least one receive antenna array having a second foot print at the ground surface, and processing means connected to the at least one transmit antenna array and the at least one receive antenna array,

the first foot print (14) and the second (16) foot print having different dimensions,

the at least one transmit antenna array being arranged to operate as a far field antenna array and the at least one receive antenna array being arranged to operate as a near field antenna array.